The Super Bowl is this Sunday and I wanted to see what everyone is thinking so post your picks and rationale below.
My Thoughts:
I think the Chiefs winning and Andy Reid finally getting a ring is the feel-good story that pretty much everyone is rooting for, but feel-good stories don't mean squat on the field. The Chiefs have looked like an unstoppable juggernaut on offense, but I do not think that they have seen, or felt, a defense like the one they are about to face. SF has an elite D-Line and gets incredible pressure with only 4 rushers. I have greatly enjoyed watching the 49ers D-Line just abusing teams. I see a lot of screens and quick hitters coming from the Chiefs, but the 49ers manage to stop them just enough times to get it done.
On the flip side, even with the additions on defense, I do not think the Chiefs are going to stop the 49ers rushing attack consistently enough. The 49ers are going to want to keep Mahomes off the field and just ground and pound their way to victory (IMHO the Titans should have stuck to their ground game and gave up on it way to early). I can easily see Garoppolo having less than 15 passes again. The 49ers game plan is going to be for the O-Line + TEs + FB to just wear out the Chiefs defense and grind them into dust. Everyone talks about the Chiefs offense but the 49ers offense, especially the rushing attack is pretty good, too.
I have always heard that when everyone is picking one team, go with the other team. At this point, I think that every single prognosticator that I have heard has picked the Chiefs. I think this is influenced by the love for Reid and by the ridiculousness of the Chiefs offense and some of the other-worldly plays that Mahomes has made, but I cannot help thinking that this matchup mirrors the Super Bowls where the Giants and their dominant D-Lines took down the Patriots and there unstoppable offenses. Defense wins championships, so I am going with the 49ers 38-31.

Comments
Hoping Andy Reid finally gets to lift the Lombardi as a head coach. He's one of the legitimate good guys of the league, and I am really hoping this is his time.
Despite my prediction, I am openly rooting for Andy Reid.
Andy Reid lifts Lombardi ✅
Kendall Fuller with the game sealing INT ✅
Yeah this was a good day
I want to see Kendall get a ring.
Exactly this. I was originally planning on rooting for SF since my dad's family is from the area and a friend's husband is a huge Niners fan, but I'll be wearing Kendall's #11 on Sunday.
Hopefully, he is getting a Super Bowl pick.
This is an underrated comment
I mean, I would like Kendall to get a Super Bowl INT along with his ring. Just saying.
Edit: GOT IT!!!
Could it be a game ending pick 6?
Kendall was this close to making that happen.
So it wasn't a pick 6 to end the game. But our boy did get the official game ending pick.
Can my prediction go half plaid?
Here's your 1/50th
Thanks!
Kendall just chillin on the bench just now like he knew KC was winnin the while time.
And then he gets the pick just for fun.....
It could. It could.
Edit: Not a pick 6, but still.
This aged very well.
Take the OVER...I don't care what the total is. Every Chief playoff game the last two years has gone over, if they get behind they will throw the ball on every play which either means quick points or quickly ending drives...lots of extra plays to score.
EDIT: in Simpson's sea captain voice "Yarr, I don't know what I'm doing"
I want to see the over. But every time I pick the over, it goes under.
I'm hoping for a game that's a mix of the Rams/Chiefs Monday Night game last year (both teams score 50) with Super Bowl 34 (Rams/Titans, missed the goal line by an inch at the last second.)
Don't have a routing interest in either team so just hoping for a good game. Prediction is a shootout as Mahomes will shred any D given enough time and KC D will not be able to slow down that ground attack for too long.
Will Demi's national anthem go over two minutes? I will say yes
I just hope both teams have fun.
So Brad Cornelsen's UVA gameplan? (braces for downvotes)
Kendall and Mahomes. Go Chiefs.
It helps that I think Mahomes is the best QB in the NFL now and the odds on favorite to be the GOAT candidate from his generation.
via GIPHY
This REALLY aged well...BRAVO!!!!
I think the 49ers are more likely to win but will be rooting for the Chiefs.
...Which makes me even more confident that the 49ers will win.
I am pulling for the Chiefs. I want Kendall to get a ring. I always want Hokies to be successful. And besides the 49ers already have 5 rings...
Defense wins especially when paired with the ground game the 49ers have its gonna be a good one though the chiefs wont be out of it at any point just ask shannahan about his last super bowl.
Houston mattress magnate "Mattress Mack" McIngvale has placed a $1M money-line bet on the 49ers at +105...he won over $6M when he bet on the Eagles to beat the Patriots two years ago.
I have to root for the 49ers because of some friendship responsibilities, and, I have no other stake in the game. However, if the Chiefs win, I will not be upset in the slightest.
The 49ers are my team, been a fan since 94 when I was 7, so seeing them win a superbowl would be awesome. I think it will be a close game throughout. Both teams will have some new wrinkles on offense to try and catch the other team out of position (Corney take notes pls). I'm predicting 37-34 SF on a last second fg.
Strong defense + 2 weeks to prepare, and absolutely no issues relying on their running game to chew-up clock AND score... I learned by lesson a long time ago when a flashy offense (Oakland) went up against a team with a strong D and did not rely on the QB to do too much (Bal'more).
I'm predictive a 2-score lead by SF at half, then a couple big plays on D in the third quarter open the lead even further. KC makes the outcome look much closer than it was with some mop-up scores in the 4th.
SF 41, KC 30.
Bold prediction:
Joe Montana's former team will win.
Joe Montana made this same bold prediction 2 weeks ago :-)
I'm betting the over on 2.5 players with an attempted pass.
you were very close ! deebo samuel definitely had a designed pass play called for him but he made the right football play and decided to tuck and run
Yeah, I saw that. Glad I didn't put any money on that. I saw somebody put $28k down.
sports wagering can
backfire
quitespectacularly;financial ruin!
Chiefs shut down Titans running game so think I they can do it again. KC offense has lots of weapons. They'll find ways to use them effectively. It's the unpredictable things that will make the difference. Turnovers or mistakes will spell doom. I can't predict who will get the breaks but I'll root for the Chiefs.
It's close in the fourth. Both qbs have an opportunity to seal the win. One does it - Mahomes. That's my prediction.
Other option is 49ers d lights up Mahomes and they get a big. W blowout. But nah. Close in the 4th with the best qb in the league delivering the win.
Bumping this comment I made days ago. Played out precisely as predicted. Close in the 4th. Each qb with an opportunity to win. Mahomes delivers.
What I would love to see. Less than a minute remaining, Chiefs up by 4. Jimmy G gets pressured and fires a rocket to the right that gets snagged by a certain DBU alum who takes it the distance to seal the deal, throwing up the VT.
I was close
Juschekfromsuperbowlthisclose.gif
Correction: CALLED IT
NAILED IT
I don't really have a dog in this fight but I think I'll be rooting for the 49ers, but I do expect the Chiefs to win.
My Super Bowel pick is that I will not be watching. Cold beer and movie is the plan.
49ers win if the game is a grind.
Chiefs win if the game is a shootout.
Basically, I wouldn't put money on this game if I were a betting man. I'm pulling for the Chiefs though.
Kansas City because... just because
Niners in a route. It's going to be ugly and over with fast.
The Niners are battled tested. They've beaten everyone in the NFC, and the NFC is just better than the AFC this year. The Chiefs had to rally a come-from-behind at home against the Texans AND the Titans. The Niners would have blown both of those teams off the face of the earth.
With that being said, I am pulling for my man Andy Reid. He's a good guy, and in the spirit of the recent 30 for 30... he's the one guy that gave Mike Vick a second chance.
Agree with everything but your first sentence, but who knows? Wife's a huge Niners fan so I've watched all their games this year and they're a fun team to watch. Lots of gutsy wins in somewhat close games. In very broad terms, I feel like I'm watching an ideal version of what we want to be - aggressive D, sneaky-good run game, opportunistic passing game with multiple receivers, heavy TE usage (Kittle), etc.
That first sentence didn't age well.
Another shanahan choke job special he can't score after the third quarter
KENDALL ICES IT
Fuller. Fuller. Fuller!!!
KENDALL FAM
GAME ENDING PICK BY KENDALL!!!!
KENDAAAAAAAALL
Ha, I told my wife all I wanted was a game ending pick by Kendall Fuller.
All I want now is an undefeated VT football team for eternity.
Kendall has a the huge pass breakup up 4 and had the game sealing pick. You LOVE to see it.
I'm happy that Kendall gets a ring. Disappointed for my brother in law who's a lifelong Niners fan. I'm really happy that a troll from high school bet a substantial amount of money on the over...
Just woke up my wife screaming that Kendall Fuller sealed the Super Bowl with an interception. She squealed and gave me a fist bump. God, I love her.
Dear Fuente:
Tomorrow, call up Kendall and have him happen to show up at Princess Anne HS with his ring.
I hate to be the realist, but those rings wont be ready tomorrow.
But I'm sure he can pass out some 49ers champion gear, that's been printed
From 1995? The Chefs won.
How is 1995 twenty five years ago? It was just like 5, right?
Hi, welcome to old. Here's your... what are we doing? Never mind. .
I know, which means there are boxes of 49ers championship gear ready to go with no one to wear it. In rhe past it was donated to poor countries.
Why was Mahomes the MVP? Williams by far was the best player.
Agree, but now they have the youngest ever MVP.
Is it later?
I can't believe that stupid skit ran the whole Super Bowl. It was old after the 2nd one.
The bit last year with "it's a Tide ad" was much better.
A lot of people in my office really seemed to like it though.
Kendall had a superbowl pick
Did they only throw at him twice? Once for a break-up and once for an interception?
I don't know the exact stats but I saw him covering attempts to Kittle a couple times.
He was playing safety instead of his usual CB spot.
Stop me if you've heard this before....
Dominant defensive performance that can't quite finish the deal at the end. An offense that is able to do just enough to make you think its going to happen before completely falling apart late. A coach that runs out the clock at halftime despite multiple timeouts in his pocket with surprisingly decent field position. Playing defensively solid for 3 quarters only to get uncharacteristically gashed by the big play late...
As happy as I was for Andy Reid, the play by SF triggered a lot of Hokie PTSD last night.
I'm really happy for the great state of Kansas!
Glad for Reid. Dude came out with a fantastic game plan utilizing his rushing attack. At least I got the Chiefs score correct. LOL
IMHO Garoppolo is a mediocre QB. The media loves him because he is pretty and still has Patriots residue on him. His accuracy and decision making left a lot to be desired last night, but maybe that happens when a QB doesn't have to throw the ball a lot for a few games so he has a harder time getting into a rhythm. That, and the KC defense played lights out.
Jimmy G was 17-for-20 with 12 minutes to go, so he was doing fine to start with the ball. But after that point, I agree with you. Some combination of the Chiefs D stepping up and bad decision making completely turned things around and he ended 20-for-31.
Who wants to start the petition to get the Shakira gobble to play on the HokieVision next season on every opponents third down?
For key plays do a graphic with "Shake 'Em" on the scoreboard with.... well....
Would look something like this..
One of the better Super Bowls. Too many games in the past have been blow outs, This game was closer than the final score. The game went back and forth. The Chiefs took the early lead, but the 49ers surged ahead only for a come back by the Chiefs.
If you dont count the games Peyton played in, you have to go back to Green Bay over Pittsburgh to get a higher margin of victory, and even then it was still only 2 scores. So that goes back to Tampa bay in 2003 for the last real, non-peyton blow out.
Basically Peyton is bad for super bowls, but other than that this century has had a lot of better superbowl games (based on the final score)
KC fans with some strong Morgantown energy.